Culture & attractions along the Alto Adige Wine Road

The stately Gebhardthof has stood here since 1539. At that time, one of the sons volunteered to go to war as a lansquenet with three other young men from Montan, while his brothers managed the farm. At the same time, they marketed wine - including white Lagrein - even as far as Rosenheim. Already in the next generation, the estates and the stately accessories are separated from the house. After several changes of ownership, the Rosenwirt from today's Amplatz on the opposite side of the village square married into the house in 1671. He gave the former Gebhardthof its present name. There has been the right to manage it as a restaurant since at least the middle of the 17th century. After further changes of ownership among old-established Montan families, the Wegscheider family became the owners in 1862. Since 1990 it has been owned by the Malojer family, who run this house as a traditional inn.

This house, which forms a unit with the Wegscheiderhof to the south, is a good example of the Überetsch architectural style. The primetime of this architectural style was between 1550 and 1600. Typical features are the stone-framed door frames and window arches, bay windows, double-arched windows with slender central columns, and the enclosed courtyard.

When the menhir was discovered during excavations, it stood at the western corner of Freienfeld Manor in burnt black soil, surrounded by a circle of stones. Some of these stones still circle the menhir.

The menhir is, in comparison to other menhirs, primitive, yet there is clear evidence of workmanship. The glacial erratic of quartz phyllite is 1.65 m high with a circumference of 1.95 m and is reminiscent of a cyclopic giant.

As with other menhirs, it is likely anthropomorphous and imitates, though remotely, the stature of a person. The menhir was presumably a place for worship of gods, heros or the dead. It is probably a male menhir, with three aligned holes, and wearing a clearly visible collar.

During his first trip to Italy in 1494, the famous German painter Albrecht Dürer had to deviate from his route to Venice because of a flood on the Adige River. After possibly spending the night in the monastery "Klösterle" of St. Florian/San Floriano or in Neumarkt/Egna, he probably arrived at the Freedom Square in Laag/Laghetti and from there took the path over the Sauch Saddle into the Cembra Valley. This assumption is based on Dürer's watercolors of Segonzano Castle and a mill. Today it is possible to follow Dürer's footsteps on the Dürer path of the same name, which begins in St. Florian near Laag.

A lovely winding mountain road leads you quickly up from Kurtatsch, through woods, meadows, vineyards and fruit orchards to the high plateau of Unterfennberg. The jewel of this plateau is without question little Lake Fennberg, perfect for a summer swim. Although the lake is a biotope with unusual flora and fauna (more than 35 types of orchids, freshwater crayfish and other types of plants and animals),  a small wooden pier with a ladder leads down to swim in the silky moor water while enjoying the views of the tiny St. Leonard's church and the surrounding mountain peaks. Water lilies and dragonflies build a frame for the lake, which is a popular spot for ice-skating during the cold winter months. The plateau offers many walking paths as well as the possibility of travelling up by car, hiking path or via ferrata. The plateau is also an excellent destination for bikers, be it mountain bikers, motor bikers or racing bikers.

 

A rustic circular hiking trail along the Schwarzenbach/Rio Nero torrent to the waterfall offers a breathtaking natural spectacle offer. The "Katzenleiter" is a stone staircase consisting of 540 steps carved into the rock. The waterfall plunges into a 120-meter-deep gorge and offers a magnificent view of the entire south of South Tyrol all the way to Lake Kaltern. If you continue climbing the steps, you will reach the Brückenwirt inn in Montan/Montagna after a two-hour hike.

The fruit cooperative frubona Obstgenossenschaft Terlan originally arises from six cooperatives in the Bozen-Etsch Valley area. It has existed in its present form since 2010. 426 members cultivate a total of 1,154.55 ha of net area. In the shop you can buy apples.

Griesfeld estate in Neumarkt/Egna. This beautiful residence was built by Karl Balthasar of Cazan around the middle of the 17th century. Rectangular windows, two biforiums and six ox-eye windows adorn the elegant façade. On the second floor of the building there is a wonderful Baroque chapel, whose barrel vault is decorated with rich stucco and valuable 17th-century frescoes depicting the lives of saints and the Blessed Mother. Today this stately building houses a home economics school

The Lago Santo (Holy Lake), situated in the Cembra Valley in Trentino, near the South Tyrolean border, sits at approximately 1,200 meters in altitude and is enveloped by dense alpine forests. Its crystal-clear waters make it a popular spot for anglers and hikers seeking peace and breathtaking mountain landscapes.

The Titschenbach stream ends in a 68 high thunderous waterfall, which makes the village so unique. This is where the prehistoric inhabitants used to fetch water from the stream and channel it into canals for a variety of everyday uses. This place, the oldest in the history of the village, was mentioned in documents as "Tütsche" (Tyrolean Urbar from 1288). This name could have been derived in the course of a millennium from the Latin term "ductia", which, like the ancient "sala", referred to a water pipe. Salurn, the "village on the Tütsche", was created thanks to such watercourses. This dependence is symbolized, among other things, in the coat of  arms and name of one of the oldest families of the village, the family "An der Lahn". It is interesting to note that until the end of the 15th century, the stream crossed the Gries district in the south of the village and was only later diverted to the north on the mountain side of the settlement. The wooden bridge was first built around 1500.

Extended structure consisting of three components dating from the Renaissance of the early 17th century. The starting point for its architectural development was a two-storey Gothic core on the Kirchplatz with the basement containing two large, vaulted rooms used for agricultural purposes. Several sandstone-framed windows and a portal in stone with lozenge-shaped ashlars and rosettes indicate the significant extension works during the Renaissance.

A large park is located directly to the east of the Steinkellerhaus.

During some excavations in the "Kahn" area in 1983, remains of an ancient Roman edifice were found. Those remains almost certainly belong to the "Endidae Mansio," which appears in the "Itinerarium Antonini." The large edifice with ground area of 737 m² featured a rectangular shape with a huge arcade and a central, partly roofed court. Several rooms were built around the court, which were probably relaxation rooms (cubicula) and a kitchen.

 

In 1523, the inn of Laurenz Wurnigger from Carinthia, also called Windisch, who is probably still remembered by the "Windischwald" (forest) above the village. The owner is Juliana Puphtalerin, wife of Wolfgang Canz, a country writer in Rottenburg am Neckar and in 1551 bailiff of the dominion of Bregenz. In 1554, the inn "zum Payr" was sold. Until 1611, this house was called "zum Zotten", before it was renamed "Wirthshaus An der Roten Rosen" (Inn at the Red Roses) by Georg Osterried, the caretaker of the Fuggers at Enn Castle, and in 1619 it fell to Susanna Payr of Caldiff as a debt. After several changes of ownership, Pastor Alexander Giovanelli acquired this house in 1717 and 1725. When he died in 1743, he bequeathed his entire estate to the poor, the church and the brotherhood in Montan, as well as a benefice he had founded in his home village of Carano. Property of the Resch family from 1744 to 1782, then owned by the Zuveith family until 1908. Since 1908 property of the Amplatz family.

A special feature of this house is the Gothic parlour with its richly carved beamed ceiling, which bears witness to around 500 years of living culture. Also preserved are sandstone frames on the entrance door and window, the latter with a pentagram and the year 1565.

To the south of Bolzano, on porphyry rock, a vast castle arrangement, by the way, one oldest is in South Tirol. On account of her impressive situation, it is - as it is due to her beauty - also far away obviously. History: Castle Sigmundskron was called in the first historical mentions about 945 "Formicaria". In 1027 the German emperor gave the dukedom of Trento as well as the county to Bolzano to the bishop of Trento. In this manner the building went over in his possession and was used from now on as a seat of the Amtsmänner responsible for this territory and, moreover, still for high court meetings. An enlargement of the castle in 12. and 13. Therefore, Jhd. became necessary. Very pleasantly for the rulers of the area was the control of the navigation on Eisack and Etsch. The only entrance of Bolzano to Eppan could be closed up to the construction of the first bridge about 1200 easily. About 1473 the castle went over in the possession of Sigmund to the coin empires, princes of Tyrol. The lover of nice castles allowed to develop the arrangement immediately. As his most splendid construction the duke called this "castle Sigmundskron". However, soon afterwards Sigmund gets in financial difficulties. He must pledge his work, the castle slowly goes to ruin, because it is also not inhabited any more constantly. 1957: The next important event which takes place within these walls is the national rally against "Verwelschungsbestrebungen" (lot of Trento), i.e. against the disregard of the "Paris contract" about 1957. In 1976 an innkeeper's family raised for the first time the courage to renovate partially the castle to open the guest company in these romantic surroundings of course also at the same time. In 2006 The „sacristan Mountain of museum of Firmian“ in the castle Sigmundskron/Firmian is opened. Architectural style: The castle is built mainly in the highly medieval style. The slender donjon in the untercastle shows Late-Gothic rebuildings. From the 13th century is the residential tower with round arch door as well as round arch windows. One recognises two gun turrets by the up to 5-m-thick curtain wall in the upper precastle, among the rest, moreover, you find a living - and economic building in the court (the place of the today's restaurant). Specific features: Highly - and untercastle are unambiguously separated by a rock formation, a natural barrier which one often does not find thus. Duke Sigmund made the castle by stonecutters decorate, it had to go nicest in his collection. The different dimensions of the loopholes also do not correspond to the norm of that time.

The Spring Valley is located between lake Kaltern and lake Montiggl.    The wonderful colours are waiting for us. Discover what Mother Nature has onoffer, but remember, please don’t pick the flowers, it is prohibited. Spring Valley is easily reached by car. Just ask for information at the Tourist Office. A natural wonder!

The building in baroque style became the residence of the Venetian Counts Zenobio in 1729, after they acquired it from the Cazan lords. The façade is decorated with the coats of arms of the family that held the court of Enn and Kaldiff between 1648 and 1830. The interiors are arranged symmetrically around a central staircase and have magnificent stuccoed ceilings.

An interesting natural appearance in Entiklar is the legendary rain stone at the wine road, a rock face dripping water with many tuff and sinter formations. It is said that a weeping princess is on the inside of this stone and she appears once every 100 years in order to be redeemed and to richly reward her saviour.

The limekiln in Andriano is a kind of kiln where in the past people used to produce quicklime from limestone.

The Parish church "Maria Himmelfahrt" (Mary´s ascension) by Terlan is a building from the High Gothic Period of the 14th Century. The altar room and the choir chairs are the oldest part of the building.
Catholic services: Sat. 7 pm (every 2nd and 4th saturday of the month) and Sun. 8.45 am (every 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday of the month) in German and every Sunday 10.15 am in Italian.

According the slogan "freedom and harmony between art and nature" the South Tyrolean artist Sieglinde Tatz-Borgogno has created 200 sculptures of bronze, marble and clay at the small village Pochinear Salorno. People with their forces, desires and fears are at the focus of the artist's creativity. The sculpture-garden is reachable in a few minutes from the center of Pochi and is freely accessible.

The fertile terrace between Auer/Ora, Neumarkt/Egna, and Montan/Montagna is an ancient cultural landscape. Castelfeder was the center of human existence in the south of South Tyrol for thousands of years. There are traces of settlements from the Stone and Bronze Ages. The remains of a castle complex, the legendary fertility chute and the walls of the Barbara Chapel bear witness to a mystical past. Also, Raetians, Romans, and other tribes who settled in the area around the hill retreated to the 400-meter-high hill in troubled times and left their traces.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire had Castelfeder refortified as a bastion against the Germanic tribes shortly after the year 500. On this "acropolis," hundreds of people could find refuge together with their cattle and supplies. The last remains of the 500-meter-long ring wall of this largest fortress of the Adige Valley are the "Kuchelen," whose construction resembles the city wall of Constantinople.

Because of the Mediterranean vegetation, the area was called the "Arcadia of Tyrol" by romantic poets. The Castelfeder hill is important not only from an archaeological and historical point of view, but also from an ecological one. Thus, a zone with an area of about one hundred hectares was placed under landscape protection as a biotope years ago. Due to the Mediterranean climate, it is particularly mild on the hill as early as March. Today, Castelfeder is home to some animals that have become rare in Europe. The biotope's flora and fauna can be explored on the nature discovery trail.

In lieu of the parish chapel built in Widum itself under parish priest Paul Nardin, a free-standing and somewhat larger Widum chapel was built in the courtyard in 1869 under parish priest Johann Clauser. It is dedicated to St. John of Nepomuk. The parish with its vaults at ground level, flight of stairs to the 1st floor, and the window and doorframes made out of stone is one of the most ancient buildings in Auer/Ora. It was renovated and extended in an exemplary manner by parish priest Peter Paul Hofmann in 1992. In addition to the parish flat, it houses rooms for the church associations as well as small and large parish rooms.

The Gelmini estate was built in the first half of the 17th century. It belonged to the An der Lan and Fedrigotti families and to the Gelmini family. The three-storey building has a beautiful garden and several courtyards leading to the service buildings. Another interesting feature is the oriel with turrets and ox-eyes in the upper part of the façade, located on Schillerstrasse. The building is decorated with a mosaic created in 1911 depicting a Virgin and Child inspired by Raphael's Renaissance Madonna. Particularly worth seeing are the coffered ceiling in the wood-panelled oriel room, which dates from 1661, and the carved wooden walls, which run in two vertical strips and are separated by refined half-columns. Dr. Max von Gelmini was one of the largest silkworm breeders in South Tyrol. He built the so-called "silk spinning mill", one of the most important examples of industrial architecture in the entire country.

 

The Loreto Chapel is located in Kalditsch/Doladizza above Montan/Montagna and is part of the "Rothenhof." It was consecrated on September 22, 1702 by Prince Bishop Michael von Spaur. The church day is celebrated annually at the end of September with a solemn service. The high altarpiece is a magnificent work by the Val di Fiemme-based painter Giuseppe Alberti. The inscription on the church roof, visible from afar, depicts a monogram of the Virgin Mary.

This fantastic vantage point above Neumarkt offers a spectacular view over Neumarkt, Montan and the entire Unterland region as far as Bolzano/Bozen, Lake Kaltern and the entire Mendola group as far as the Corno di Tres above Fenn. To the north, the peaks of the Ifinger and Hirzer mountains can be seen, as well as the Sarner Scharte and the Texelgruppe above Meran/o.

Mysterious eras of the past Food, drinks and an attraction A brief journey back in time to the High Middle Ages. Only the freshly prepared dishes create a rather delicious bridge to the future. Boymont Castle was built as the seat of a noble family in the year 1230. After a fire in 1742, the ruins came into the possession of several owners, until it was finally bought by Fritz Dellago in 1977. The two knights' halls, as well as the stone-framed arched windows, pillars and capitals are worth a visit in their own right. Special dishes: Daily ribs and roast in medieval style made in the smoker. Opening hours Ruin Boymont is open daily from 11.00 till 17.00. Day off on Mondays, except from Mid-September till October.

The Museum of People through Time documents the impressive life of humankind over different periods. With more than 5,000 exhibits you can discover, step by step, the development from prehistoric man, who lived from hunting and collecting edibles, up to modern civilization. Admission ticket: €5.50 adults €4.00 groups (10 or more) €2.50 children (7-14 years, in classes) €11.00 families

The Capuchin monastery and its small church were built between 1617 and 1620. The church has a simple design in accordance with the style and regulations of the Capuchin Order: simple in terms of furnishings, bare walls, barrel vaults, and a side chapel on the south side. The high altar is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The pulpit and the side altars are neo-Romanesque and date back to the 19th century. The altar of the side chapel contains a statue of the mother of God with Child from the middle of the 16th century, which is said to have miraculous powers. Between 1999 and 2003, the whole complex was carefully restored. In the little church, this also led to the renewal of the windows and the benches, which – in harmony with the surroundings – are now simple and linear. Thus, the light penetrates through seven beautiful glass panes that seem to communicate with the faithful through their symbolic meaning of colors and number.

 

Once the "Wirtshaus am Steg". In 1523 the Leb family lived here. Ulrich Leb, called Uez, was a master tailor. In 1568, a bakery with master baker Hans Taz is mentioned for the first time on the lower floor. On the upper floor is the inn, which was probably run as such until the first half of the 17th century. Attempts to make it an inn again in 1670 and 1699 were successfully stopped by the then existing inns "Am Löwen" and "An der Rose" with reference to the few guest houses. After numerous changes of ownership in the following decades, several doctors of wounds moved in here one after the other from 1774 onwards. Only with the Wegscheider family, who have owned the house for several generations, does this place regain its former purpose and become a village bakery and also an inn again.

The two oculi in the attic are remarkable. These openings, also called "ox eyes", are still a widespread element in the façades of historic houses in Montan today.

The most interesting part of the façade of the “von Lutterotti” estate, a 17th century Baroque building, is probably the portal. It is framed by two half-columns with capitals and scroll and smooth and broken headstones. This is the magnificent archway of the court and prison building of the former Salorno/Salurn jurisdiction. The seat is adorned by three wrought-iron balconies. The hall on the first floor is decorated with stucco work. After the building was no longer used as a seat of jurisdiction, it passed to the namesake Lutterotti family from Salurn.

Ancient domestic grapevine in Magrè In the Vicolo dei Conti in Margreid, a house grape which was planted in 1601 covers the entire facade of the Feichter residence and still proudly produces 80 kg of grapes for harvest every year.